


My Place to Go Home To

by shiningparty



Category: Uta no Prince-sama
Genre: i just want my boys to be happy, let otoya and cecil be brother 2k20
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-25
Updated: 2020-06-25
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:14:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,996
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24912181
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shiningparty/pseuds/shiningparty
Summary: (Alt. title: My self-indulgent fanfic where cecil and otoya are happy brothers)Mail Day was a tradition at Saotome Academy, one that Otoya never really took part in. He didn't get letters often, but that didn't mean he was alone. He still had a place to go home to, even if they were far away.
Comments: 4
Kudos: 21





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> after some debating i finally decided to post this! unlike the ai fanfic from before, this is more headcanon and canon rewriting just cause i wanna see otoya and cecil actually be brothers for once. canon deprived me of this content so im taking matters into my own hands. hope yall enjoy!

The halls of Saotome Academy were always filled with music. Whether it be the sweet melodies from a piano or the pulsing energy of a pounding drum, music could be heard no matter where you went. However, today was different. Today, as Otoya traversed the halls after his morning game of soccer, the halls were filled with the musical sounds of joy. Pure, unadulterated happiness and laughter that made your heart swell with warmth just by hearing it. Curious, Otoya decided to follow the sound to see just what the source was. There were no scheduled events on campus and none of his friends had brought up hanging out. He eventually found his way to the mailroom and spotted a group of his friends crowded around and laughing amongst themselves. Syo stood at the center, his face red as a tomato, while Masato and Natsuki looked over his shoulders with large smiles on their faces. No one told Otoya they were having a get-together today, let alone in the mailroom of all places. 

“Syo-chan, this is so cute!” Natsuki exclaimed. Syo frowned at the use of his least favorite word. 

“Oi! I told you guys to stop looking!” He whined. 

“We can’t help it,” Masato added. “I didn’t expect you to receive such an adorable item in the mail.” If it were even possible, Syo’s face blushed even deeper as he held the item against his chest. 

“It’s just a gift from Kaoru! There’s nothing cute about it!” He yelled. Tired of being out of the loop, Otoya finally entered the room with a puzzled expression. 

“What’s going on here?” He asked. The three boys all looked up once Otoya entered, with Syo looking as if he was going to pass out. 

“H-How long have you been here?!” Syo asked. 

“I just got here,” Otoya explained. He pointed to the object pressed against Syo’s chest. “What’s that?” Syo looked down at the godforsaken thing before cutting his eyes away. 

“N-N-N-Nothing.” He stammered. Natsuki’s smile widened as he clapped his hands together. 

“Syo-chan got an adorable set of pajamas from his brother! Apparently he bought himself a matching pair too.” He explained. Syo cut his eyes at the older boy with a pout. 

“Why would you tell him?!” He said. Natsuki released a small giggle as he placed his hands onto Syo’s shoulders. 

“Such a cute outfit deserves to be seen by everyone!” He cheered. Masato stifled a laugh. 

“Even though it goes against your usual choice in fashion, I think Shinomiya is correct. Would you mind modeling the pajamas for me one day? I want to see if I can replicate the stitching so I can make a similar pair for Mai.” Syo furrowed his eyebrows together as he snapped his head to glare at Masato. 

“Absolutely not!” He yelled. Otoya released a small chuckle at the argument, enjoying the liveliness in the room. 

“It must be really nice to get something from your family. That means they’re thinking about you even though they’re far away.” He said with a small smile. Syo released a sigh as he looked down at the pajamas once more. 

“He always does stuff like this where he just splurges on things he thinks I’d like. Usually, he just sends random snacks or trinkets, but now he’s been buying me random outfits to match with him. It’s a really sweet gesture, but he has to realize we’re not kids anymore!” Although he still puffed out his cheeks, Otoya could tell that he was holding back how happy he was to receive the gift. It must be nice to receive little gifts from family. He wondered if his mom was thinking of him, wherever she was.

“E-Either way,” Syo stuttered after a while. “Don’t you two have mail coming in too?” He looked at Masato and Natsuki who both seemed to perk up at the question. Almost immediately, Masato retrieved a set of letters from his back pocket while Natsuki brought out a cookie tin he’d set aside. 

“Mai sent me two letters today. Her hiragana has been improving wonderfully.” Masato boasted. He held out the letters to show off the cute stationery, which featured the bright colored Sanrio mascot characters. In the corner, a small drawing of what could only be assumed to be Masato stood proudly with the word “Onii-chama,” written under it. 

“How cute!” Natsuki gushed. “My parents sent me some homemade hot chocolate mix and chocolate chip cookies.” The cookie tin was golden colored and littered with little stars that formed various constellations. The smell of peppermint and chocolate wafted from the box and Otoya tried to quiet the small growl his stomach released. 

“Isn’t it too hot for hot chocolate? It’s April!” Syo shouted. Natsuki shrugged his shoulders as he hugged the box to his chest. 

“Even so, that doesn’t change the fact that they thought of me.” He cooed.

“That’s right, today is mail day.” Otoya thought to himself. He glanced towards his mailbox for a moment and felt his stomach sink a little bit. It wasn’t uncommon for certain people to not show up for mail day. Tokiya usually avoided it as he claimed that his family preferred text over letters and Ren avoided opening his mailbox until the end of the day as it was always flooded with confession letters. Otoya hadn’t taken part in mail day since he arrived at Saotome Academy, but it wasn’t as if he never got letters. They were mainly greeting cards from the orphanage for his birthday or other holidays, but it was still nice to be remembered on occasion. 

“So what did you get for mail day, Otoya?” Syo asked after a while. Masato and Natsuki’s faces fell almost immediately at the question, but Otoya braved a happy smile. He had only told his friends in A-Class about his days in the orphanage, so he wasn’t really offended at the question when it came up.

“Probably nothing, I don’t get many letters nowadays.” He explained. There was a certain sadness to his voice that he tried to mask with his grin, but couldn’t completely obscure. Syo bit his lip as he averted his eyes to the ground. 

“Sorry for asking. That was probably rude of me.” He mumbled. Otoya shook his head as he flashed another false smile. 

“It’s fine! You didn’t mean any harm by it,” He said. “Besides, I’m happy you guys are getting such nice gifts from your families! I wish I got stuff like that.” The last part fell from his mouth before he could even stop himself and he felt his heart drop once he realized what he said. The three boys seemed even more concerned as they stared at Otoya. 

“Are you alright, Ittoki?” Masato questioned. Otoya paused for a moment, his mind becoming jumbled with static the longer he thought about his lack of letters. The orphanage should’ve been enough for him. They were nice enough to send cards in the first place. But no, Otoya had to be greedy. He didn’t just want cards. He wanted homemade hot chocolate and handwritten letters and cute pajama sets. He wanted all of those things and more. God, how selfish could he be?! 

“Ittoki,” Masato repeated. Otoya cut his eyes up to stare back at the group, noting the panic evident in their faces. He quickly masked his face with another large smile as he tossed his hands behind his head. 

“Don’t worry about me! I’m alright. I’ll see you guys around, okay?” Before they could even respond, Otoya turned on his heels and bolted down the hall. Of course, he just had to go and run his mouth about his tragic past. Now everyone would look down on him. Otoya, the poor orphan who never had a family. Otoya, the abandoned child whose parents didn’t love him. He could feel his head pound as these thoughts consumed his mind like a plague, eradicating any rational thought. Tears began to swell in his eyes the longer he ran, but he soon became distracted by a sudden vibrating in his pants pocket. He retrieved his phone and looked down at the screen in confusion. 

Otoya >>> 💚🐈  
💚🐈: are we still on for tonight? :3c  
Otoya: yee yee 🤠 

Otoya couldn’t help but smile at the text. “Just in time.” He laughed. That’s right, he wasn’t completely alone. There was someone thinking about him, despite how far apart they were.


	2. Chapter 2

The night couldn’t have been more perfect. Otoya had the room completely to himself since Tokiya was off to work, as usual, and he had finished all his homework on Friday so he could have the weekend off. Natsuki and Masato had apparently gotten past the awkward encounter from the morning and were now forcing Syo to model his new pajama set: a fluffy, pink onesie with white polka dots and rabbit ears stitched to the hood. They offered Otoya to come join the “fashion show,” but he politely declined in favor of getting sent the pictures later on. Instead, he had better plans for how to spend his night. His laptop was set up on his bed with headphones hooked up and a bag of chips sitting next to it. He had already tested the mic at least three times to ensure there would be no audio breaks tonight and he made sure that his camera was clear enough to properly record him. On his lap, he had his Switch, which was currently set up to play Animal Crossing: New Horizons. His island, Onpu, was far from perfect but he still tried his best to make it at least look presentable for when Cecil came to visit. He checked his phone for the umpteenth time, waiting for Cecil’s confirmation text that he could start the video call. 

If you had told Otoya a few years back that he had a secret half-brother living in another country who was also the crowned prince, he would probably have called you insane. However, once Otoya found the letter from “Agna” stowed away in his mailbox sent from “Prince Cecil Aijima,” that irrational statement soon became a reality. The first few months of contact were awkward, to say the least. A lot of questions came from both sides and each one made Otoya’s family life seem even more complicated than it already was. To find out Shining Saotome was his dad was already a bombshell, but finding out his mother was not dead and had, in fact, married the king of a foreign country and became the reigning queen was like getting run over by a 16 wheeler. It definitely took time for Otoya to adjust to the new knowledge, but he eventually got past that fact the more he got to know Cecil. 

Letters became too much of a hassle due to how long it took for them to send, so they eventually exchanged numbers, which led to a very interesting text conversation as Cecil was not well versed in using technology or internet culture in general. He caught on fast, but it was still weird to try to explain things like key smashing and Tiktok to someone who lived in a palace and had a pet panther. Once Otoya taught Cecil about line stickers, that became a staple in their conversations, mostly on Cecil’s end, allowing Cecil to express certain things without having to worry about the language barrier. Memes were another tricky one as Cecil and Otoya had two completely different views on what counted as funny. Most of Cecil’s memes were top text bottom text format or random screenshots from twitter, meanwhile, Otoya usually found the most obscure and sometimes irrational things hilarious. Just typing the word egg would probably set him off. Eventually, Otoya managed to taint Cecil enough that he could even recite the entire Bee Movie script from memory and apparently sent the copypasta to his friend, Camus, a few times, much to the older man’s dismay. Otoya still remembers the hour long lecture Cecil had received from Camus during one of their video calls, in which Cecil called Camus “a simp for the Silk Queen.” It was one of the most hilarious and horrifying calls they ever had.

 _Bzzt-bzzt!_ Otoya looked down at his phone as the confirmation text finally came through. His face lit up with joy as he prepared the video call and patiently waited for Cecil to pick up on his end. After about three rings, Cecil finally answered, his curly black hair slightly a mess on his head and his body wrapped in a thin, green blanket. He wasn’t typically the type to think such things, but he couldn’t deny his brother looked absolutely adorable. Was this what Natsuki felt like?

“Were you asleep?” Otoya asked as he watched Cecil rub his eyes. The young boy released a yawn as he stretched out his arms. 

“For a little bit, yeah.” He said. “But I made sure to wake up just in time for our call!” He flashed a bright smile, which made Otoya’s grin grow even wider. 

“It’s a good thing you didn’t forget about me!” He laughed. Cecil pouted for a bit as he crossed his arms. 

“I would never forget about you, Yaya! I love our conversations!” Otoya chuckled at the use of his nickname, a product of their very first call after Cecil struggled to learn Otoya’s full name. Cecil was fearful that Otoya wouldn’t enjoy the new name but was pleasantly surprised when he practically begged him to continue using it. 

“So, how was your day? Anything interesting happen?” Otoya asked. Cecil shrugged his shoulders as he readjusted his position in bed. 

“It was alright, I guess. I’ve mainly just been focusing on my studies so that I can get coronated. Father’s been very keen on making sure I’m well prepared to take the throne next year.” He explained. Otoya grabbed his chip bag from beside his laptop and began to eat a handful. 

“Damn, next year?! You’re gonna be 14, right?” He questioned.

“Yup,” Cecil said. “They’re trying to get me in there earlier since Father’s been feeling sick lately. Mother thinks they’re being too hard on me, but they assure her it’s just part of tradition.” Otoya’s stomach dropped a bit at the mention of his mother, the chips in his mouth now becoming flavorless. 

“How’s Mom been?” 

“She’s been okay. She’s still getting her memory back, slowly but surely. The doctors think that the mental exercises have been helping her memory and cognitive sense improve, whatever that means.” Cecil’s face appeared nonchalant, but Otoya could tell he was just as worried as he was. On top of finding out about his mother’s whereabouts, learning about her amnesia was another gut punch he had to deal with. According to Cecil, she recalled she had a firstborn son right after Cecil was born. From then on, Kotomi made it her duty to teach Cecil about Japan and have him learn Japanese so that he could foster a connection with his brother. Otoya had cried for almost the entire call when he’d first gotten the news, which led to Cecil crying as well and left them both feeling soft. To think that his mother didn’t remember him for a while was honestly devastating and part of him still feared the day he'd have to greet her again. He’d always imagined it to be a joyous occasion full of tears and laughter up until recently. Now he wonders if she’ll even know his name.

“Let’s change topics,” Cecil stated after a while. “How was your day?” 

“My day was alright,” Otoya said. “It was mail day, so you know how that gets.” Cecil hummed in agreement as he adjusted his curls in the camera. 

“Did you want me to send you a letter?” He asked. Otoya shook his head with a small smile. 

“There’s no need. Besides, this is way better,” He held up his Switch and beamed. “You still wanna do the fruit trade?” Cecil eagerly nodded his head as he held up his own Switch. They each loaded up their games and Otoya hurried to the airport to open his gates in time for Cecil’s arrival.  
Other than texting and video calls, Animal Crossing surprisingly was their other preferred form of communication. Cecil mainly visited Otoya and the two spent the day gathering resources or chasing each other with nets until their consoles hit low battery and they were forced to part once again. They also got into the habit of sending each other letters through the mailing system or leaving messages on each other’s bulletin boards for the other to find the next day. Simple things like these may not seem like much on the surface, but they were absolutely everything to Otoya. When they played, he felt like they were finally together, even if it was just their characters sitting next to each other. Once Cecil finally arrived from Agna to Onpu, Otoya immediately greeted him by smacking his head with a net. 

“Sibling abuse!” Cecil whined over the call as he pulled his axe from his pocket. The two began chasing each other around, swinging the tools at each other and wreaking mayhem as they went. Eventually, they finally got back to the original purpose of the visit and dealt each other their native fruits. Otoya picked up the oranges off the ground as a random thought popped in his mind. 

“You know, you should visit.” He stated. Cecil lifted his eyebrow with a puzzled gaze. 

“I’m already visiting you.” He replied. 

“No, no,” Otoya said. “I meant you should visit here. As in Tokyo.” A suffocating blanket of silence fell over the room as Cecil and Otoya stared at each other. He should’ve known bringing it up would just make things awkward. There he goes running his mouth and ruining things again! 

“It’s hard,” Cecil explained. “Don’t get me wrong, I want to visit. I really do, but Father wants me to focus on my studies. He thinks that I might get distracted if I go over there.” Otoya could feel his stomach lurch from how stupid he felt, a burning heat beginning to set in his cheeks. 

“Right, sorry about that. It was a dumb question.” He muttered. 

“Otoya, wait, I didn’t mean--” 

“Look, it’s fine, alright?!” His voice got louder than he anticipated and Cecil seemed to flinch at the sound. Otoya could feel the heat spread from his cheeks to his chest as he mentally kicked himself for scaring Cecil. 

“Let’s just finish up the trade and then call it a night.” He said. Cecil nodded his head as he turned back to his game. The rest of their time was spent in silence, the only sound coming from the soft BGM in the game. It was raining on Onpu, which made the melodies seem more bittersweet than usual. Otoya walked Cecil back over to the airport and typed his goodbye through the chatting function. 

Otoya >>> Cecil  
Otoya: bye ily  
Cecil: je t’aime 

Once that was squared away, the two boys departed once again and closed out the game without so much as a whisper being shared. Eventually, Otoya managed to meet Cecil’s gaze once more, the fatigue apparent on his face. 

“Sorry about earlier.” He said. “Talk to you tomorrow?” Cecil nodded once more with a tight-lipped smile. 

“I’m sorry, too. I hope you feel better. Good night.” He waved his hand before logging off, leaving Otoya by himself. Otoya closed his laptop and placed it on his desk before turning off the lights and collapsing in his bed. The darkness was comforting, allowing him to obscure the tears that streamed down his cheeks. He could never have anything good, could he? He always had to be ungrateful, wanting more and more even though he had enough. He didn’t deserve Cecil or even the orphanage for that matter. If anything, he deserved to be abandoned, just like his parents wanted him to be. That night, when Tokiya came back from work, he could see dried tears on Otoya’s cheeks as he slept but said nothing of it the next morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> dont worry guys im not sponsored by Nintendo or animal crossing i just really like the game


	3. Chapter 3

A week had passed since their last video call and things seemed to be better. Surprisingly, Cecil didn’t completely abhor him after the previous shitshow and continued to reach out to him just as they usually would. It was as if nothing had ever happened and Otoya couldn’t tell if that was for better or worse.

Otoya >>> 💚🐈  
💚🐈: good morning☀️   
Otoya: morning!   
💚🐈: check your mailbox i left you something   
Otoya: oooooh what is it?   
💚🐈: :3c 

Otoya smiled down at his phone as he re-read the message. He had checked his mailbox in Animal Crossing as soon as he got the text but saw it to be completely empty. He brushed it off, thinking that maybe Cecil had just forgotten to send it or was planning to send it later on today, though the thought still remained in the back of his mind. As he walked the halls, he noticed a lot of stares in his direction, some from students he recognized from class and others from people he’d never even met before. Part of him wondered if this was all just some sick nightmare where the entire world turned against him but ignored the thought as just another paranoid delusion. Eventually, he ran into Natsuki and Masato, who appeared to be chatting a few feet away from the mailroom. That’s right, today was mail day again. 

“What’s going on?” He asked as he walked towards them. The two boys looked over at him as if a ghost had appeared. 

“Apparently they’re closing mail day for the morning cause of an important package that showed up,” Natsuki explained. 

“Package?” Otoya repeated. Masato nodded his head, a state of concern on his face. 

“No one is allowed into the mailroom except for the owner of the package. Until he collects it, nobody can claim their mail, either.” Otoya scratched his hair with a frown. 

“Jeez, that sounds like a lot of trouble. I’d hate to be that guy right now.” Natsuki and Masato exchanged a nervous glance before turning back to Otoya with the same look of panic. Otoya fluttered his eyes for a moment, confused as to why they seemed so scared. 

“What?” He asked. 

“Otoya-kun,” Natsuki began. “You’re the owner of the package.” For a while, Otoya just stood there, his brain freezing up like a Windows computer as he attempted to process just what was said to him. It took about two minutes for everything to finally click and by that point, he was practically sprinting for the mailroom door. It all made sense now. The cryptic text. The empty mailbox in Animal Crossing. The stares in the hallway. 

He skidded to a halt in front of the door and gave himself a moment to breathe. His hands were quaking the longer he stared at the entrance and it took all of his strength to not turn back. After taking a deep breath, he turned the knob of the door open and walked inside, keeping his eyes closed in fear of ruining the excitement. Once he was safely inside, he slowly opened his eyes and felt his breathing stop completely. Tears pooled out of his eyes uncontrollably and the only noise he could make was a single sob. Cecil held out his arms with a bright smile as he stood next to Otoya’s mailbox with a green ribbon tied to his head. 

“Surprise!” He yelled. Otoya rushed forward as fast as he could, practically lunging onto the boy as he sobbed into his shirt. Cecil gripped Otoya just as tight as his own tears started to fall from his eyes. 

“I’m home.” He said with a warm smile. Otoya looked up to meet his gaze and felt his heart soar with warmth. 

“Welcome back.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fun fact: the name of this fic comes from the last line of otoya's new solo song, ai to yoberu ki no shita de  
> another fun fact is that the song makes me cry almost on command! :)


End file.
